Thank you NetGalley and Second Sky for the opportunity to read and review Heart of Night and Fire (The Nightfire Quartet Book 1).

Heart of Night and Fire is my introduction to Nisha J. Tuli. I read so many great reviews of her Artefacts of Ouranos series from Instagram Bloggers and I was excited to start a new series YA Fantasy series, especially a fantasy romance series set within Asian culture.

The cover is beautiful.

Zarya's story is promising and I think her books will do wonderfully with young adults rather than adults who like to read YA fantasies, such as myself.

I had a hard time connecting with Zarya. Even though she is 20/21, her dialogue and inner monologues read like she was much younger. I found myself skimming and skipping several chapters then finally reading the last few chapters in the book - which I admittedly enjoyed compared to the first 93%.

I may try to start the second installment of the series when its released to see if it the story will keep me interested; otherwise, I may not move forward with this series.

Please do not let my review keep you from reading this story. You may enjoy Zarya's story.

Full Disclosure: My ratings are based on loves. If I love a book, I will give it the 5 ❣️, 5 ❤️, 4 ❤️. Books that I don't enjoy will have 3 ⭐.

I loved how unique this story was and I really enjoyed reading about a story inspired by something fresh. This story left me feeling inspired and excited to see what comes next. The dedication was beautiful as well. My only issue is sometimes the writing felt a little offbeat for me but I got over that quickly. Thank you for letting me read this as an ARC and I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The beginning of the story had me intrigued! I loved the setup of Zarya being confined with Row and Aarav. This helped the reader understand some of Zarya’s behavior later on in the book; I.e. the feelings she has when she finally has a friend, some trust issues she deals with, etc.

There was a lot of world building, which I appreciated. I do wish I could have had more depth and connection with the characters. Some of the works building overshadowed the people who are the star of the show.

The last thirty pages definitely had me wanting to read more!

Thank you, NetGalley and Second Sky Books for the chance to read this stunning novel!

For the past 20 years, Zarya has been trapped in a cottage surrounded by a growing dark swamp far from civilization. She is forbidden to use her magic, but she's unsure why it must remain a secret. Arav, one of her protectors, seems to despise her, and Rowe, the guardian who raised her, refuses to give her the answers she seeks. Zarya is ready to break out of the only life she's ever known.

One day her wish is granted as she finally escapes and finds herself in the dazzling city of Dharati. Along the way, she meets and befriends blood-drinking rakshasa, Vikrim, and Yasen. The magical Aazheri sorcerers within the walls have questions for her, but she doesn't know who to trust with her secrets. But there is a darkness outside of the city that threatens the safety of the people who live there, and Zarya joins the fight. Battling to protect the city and searching for clues about her unknown gifts, Zarya's dreams lead to more questions as she's confronted by a mysterious stranger. When the darkness threatens to destroy Dharati, Zarya and her friends band together and must do all that they can to protect the city. But if she is forced to reveal her magic, will it do more harm than good?

Another incredible novel by Nisha J. Tuli. The exquisite world-building made it so easy to see Dharati and the magic forest in my mind. Zarya is a force of nature! One of my favorite main characters! Her past holds so many secrets, and it was fun to journey with her to find those answers. Love, love, love Yasen!! The evolution of their friendship was so natural and loved their banter. The twists and turns in her encounters with Rabin had me on my toes, so it will be exciting to see how that relationship continues to evolve.

I cannot wait to see what is to come for all of the characters throughout the series.

The author added a note in the beginning reassuring readers that everything within this story is inspired by a specific culture, but not directly derived from it and I loved that she added that. And when I saw the dedication, my heart absolutely melted. It was so incredibly sweet. There were moments in the writing that felt lush and interesting and the characters had a sort of found family aspect that melted my heart. Unfortunately, some of the dialogue also felt clunky and the main character's thought pattern and choices took me out of the story and impacted how much I was able to enjoy the story. The romance was interesting, but I'm not necessarily committed to finishing or continuing with the series. That is all personal preference though and I can definitely see where and why someone would love it.

Heart of Night and Fire is a quick, enjoyable fantasy romance read, even if the name is a bit cliché.

I liked Zarya but felt she was not very memorable. A couple of weeks after finishing the book, my lasting opinion of her was that she was too quick to forgive Aarav, who she apparently spent most of her life hating. Her forgiveness seemed unearned although it may be a character trait as she was also quick to forgive Vikram for deceiving her and Yasen for being complicit.

The world building was good although I felt thatva brief guide to the magic system would have been helpful at the beginning.

While the book is aimed at adults it reads a bit simplistic and a lot of characters lacked depth but this didn't stop it being enjoyable.

The romance was a bit lacklustre in this book given Zarya and Vikram didn't have much chemistry but I have high hopes for the next ones given the new love interest introduced in the last quarter of the book.

I ended up at a 3.5 stars for this one with a 3 star first half of the book and a 4 star second half. The first half mostly just suffered from horribly pacing in my opinion. The very very beginning hooked me with questions about secrets surrounding Zarya but then once Zarya made it into the city it felt like she didn't care at all about finding out these answers and instead was just hanging out around town. This really dragged the book for me because those secrets were what I did care about at that point and I just wanted her to do any actions to try and find out the truth. I also found I did not care one whit about the romance in the first half because I could just tell it wasn't the end game romance of the series. The other thing I didn't love about this one was how easy everything felt for Zarya. She just fell in with the two guys she met in the forest and I was constantly asking why in the world would they just decide they were friends with this random girl like they did? And I had a similar reaction later in the book when Zarya met the princess.

Now, once we hit the second half I think the book picked up quite a bit plot wise. We started to actually have things revealed so I was hooked again from that side of things. Zarya and Yassen's relationship had also found a nice stride with their bantering siblings dynamic that I was really enjoying. The world felt more expanded in the second half as well.

Overall I am glad I pushed through the slow first half to finish the book and I am definitely interested in the sequel when it comes out

This was such a nice read, in spite of the little mistakes, I'm definitely looking forwards to book 2. I appreciated there was no info dump but we could learn everything with the FMC, Zarya thanks to the fact that she was imprisoned all her life.

Whilst I liked her character, some of her reactions/actions were a little bit strange. I didn't understand her lack of attachment/worry about the two people who she spent her entire life with. Yes, of course, from her point of view she was imprisoned but it was still strange she showed no concern for them.
Another thing was her lack of drive to find the truth out about why she was hidden all her life. Of course, she showed some curiosity and every now and then if something fell in her lap, she cared but she wasn't driven to work for information and understand more about her own situation.

Whilst I liked Zarya, Yassen was my absolute favourite character. (And someone else who I'm hoping will get a bit more role in book 2 but no spoilers) He was amazing, loved how distrustful he was, how their relationship developed. It was entertaining and great to read it.

The same can't be told about Vikram. I have to admit he bored me and I had no interest in his relationship with Zarya. (I'd like to say I think this was done on purpose for SPOILER reasons)

The story was fast paced and flowed great, especially the last 20% what I admired for many reasons.

Can't wait for book 2!

Thank you NetGalley and Second Sky for sending me an ebook of Heart of Night and Fire for review consideration.

I was super excited to get a copy of this book because I am loving the Artefacts of Ouranos series, and I am waiting (not so patiently for book 3 to come out in 2024).

This book is a slow-burn but when you pick up a Quartet you know what you are signing up for.

There was enough of a hook at the start to keep you reading and the second half of the novel there is a good amount of action and hints at future romance to keep going.

If you enjoy a strong FMC with secret powers they are learning to wield to potentially save everyone they love, well, this is up your alley. There are a few great twists at the end and you meet a character you have been waiting for. It is enough to make me want to read book 2.

Now I am waiting for two of Nisha’s books to come out!

4.5 stars rounded up. *ARC Review*

This book is a strong fantasy novel with just a touch of a romantic storyline. The world building was done so well that I never felt confused or like I needed to go back and re-read parts to understand what was happening. I loved this world and I loved this story and I really enjoyed how everything played out.

There are mysteries, there is found family, and there is a bunch of battles and gore. So basically this book has everything that I look for in a fantasy novel. Something this book does really well (And that I am learning that Nisha just does well in all her books) is the side characters. They are all so strong and so complex that as the reader I cared about every character (Not just the main characters). These strong cast of characters leads to the immaculate found family vibes that Nisha gives us in this book.

This was such a strong first book in a series and it ended with me on the edge of me seat excited for book 2. The only reason this is a 4.5 and not a 5 is because I felt the pacing was just slightly off. The beginning was just a little bit slow for my personal taste.

I can't wait for more in this world. I can't wait to get more of this story.

Zarya’s story of finding answers to questions that had plagued her mind for a long time had potential. At the beginning of the book I was hooked. The first chapter was action packed and I loved that.

Row (The Warden as I like to call him) mysteriously disappearing did provide Zarya with the opportunity to adventure further than she has ever gone before. On her trip she finds a town with magical creatures. The darkness was destroying everything and everyone that wasn’t inside the city walls. But somehow Zarya survived all those years and that made people suspicious.

Zarya and her companion were trying to find Row along with answers. Instead of finding him, she learns that Row had been hiding more from her than she originally thought.

I was super excited to read this book, but it felt short halfway through. I felt like it had a lot of extra information that we could have done without. Sometimes when Zarya was experiencing something internally it took an entire page to cover her emotions and I think a paragraph would have been enough.

I did think the story was kinda predictable. The climax could have been seen coming a mile away. So did the true identity of the mystery man. To put it nicely I don’t have any motivation to read book two to get answers.

For 20 years, Zarya was kept away from the world in a little cottage at the Dakhani Sea – the only people keeping her company being her guardian Row and his assistant Aarav, who really is more of an annoyance than anything else.

When opportunity arrives, she finally manages to escape – only to end up in the hands of Commander Vikram Ravana and his Lieutenant Yasen Varghese, who take her to Dharati and into a life she never could’ve imagined. But the secrets of her past won’t let her go, and when she begins to unravel the mystery of her life, she has to realize that some things are better kept in darkness.

First of all – thank you to the author, the publishers and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my thoughts! I had a lot of fun reading this book, although I have to say reading an ebook is always a bit harder for me :D Can’t wait to get my hands on the physical copy!

Heart of Night and Fire is a dazzling story with an amazing Indian inspired theme – the world (and the food! My god the food) were beautifully described, so vividly colorful that it really felt like I was there.

Zarya as the protagonist was so fun to follow. She has this childlike wonder and excitement for life because everything is new to her, and at the same time her naivety made for interesting struggles and thoughts. Especially her outlook on love had me shaking my head a few times, but more in a gentle and understanding way – she has been locked up her whole life, so of course she deserves some slack!

I especially liked the found family in this book, which is good because the story revolves manly around them. Yasen has my heart! The romance was, in my opinion, not that predominantly – it’s really more teased than anything else. But I am excited to see where they’re going with it in the second part!

The writing is great, but what made the book really stand out is the new take on mythology and world-building – it just felt really creative and although I had some ideas about the major plot points, the details were really imaginative and gave everything a fresh spin. All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot and I can’t wait for the next part ♥

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 𝕘𝕖𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕟 𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟 ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

20 Jahre lang lebte Zarya, abgeschieden von der Welt, in einer kleinen Hütte am Dakhani-See und unter der Aufsicht des Wächters Row und seines Assistenten Aarav, aka die größte Nervensäge aller Zeiten. Als sich eine Gelegenheit zur Flucht ergibt, schlägt Zarya zu - und gerät sogleich in die Hände von Commander Vikram Ravana und seinem Leutnant Yasen Varghese. Diese bringen sie nach Dharati und in ein Leben, das sie sich niemals hätte vorstellen können. Doch die Geheimnisse ihrer Vergangenheit lassen sie nicht los und als sie beginnt, das Rätsel ihres Lebens zu entschlüsseln, muss sie erkennen, dass manche Dinge besser im Dunkeln bleiben.

Zunächst einmal möchte ich mich bei der Autorin, dem Verlag und NetGalley für das Bereitstellen eines Rezensionsexemplars bedanken, das ich im Austausch für meine Gedanken lesen durfte. Obwohl es für mich immer etwas schwieriger ist, ein E-Book zu lesen, hatte ich viel Spaß mit diesem Buch. Ich kann es kaum erwarten, eine physische Kopie in die Hände zu kriegen!

Heart of Night and Fire ist eine magische Geschichte mit einem wunderschönen, indisch angehauchten Backdrop. Die Welt (und das Essen! aaaah das Essen) werden wunderschön beschrieben und sind so lebendig und bunt (und lecker), dass es sich wirklich anfühlt, als wäre man dort (und sehr hungrig).

Zarya als Protagonistin war total spannend. Sie hat diese kindliche Begeisterung und Aufregung für das Leben, weil alles neu für sie ist. Gleichzeitig sorgt ihre Naivität für interessante Gedanken, Entscheidungen und Schwierigkeiten. Vor allem ihr Blick auf die Liebe brachte mich ein paar Mal zum Kopfschütteln, aber eher in einer sanften und verständnisvollen Art - immerhin wurde sie ihr ganzes Leben lang eingesperrt, da verdient sie schon etwas Nachsicht!

Besonders gefallen hat mir auch die “found-family” in diesem Buch, was gut ist, weil die Geschichte hauptsächlich darum geht. Besonders Yasen hat mein Herz erobert! Die Liebesgeschichte war meiner Meinung nach (noch) nicht so dominant - es wird wirklich mehr angedeutet als alles andere. Aber ich bin gespannt, wohin das alles im zweiten Teil gehen wird!

Der Schreibstil ist großartig, aber was das Buch wirklich von anderen absetzt ist die Mythologie und das Worldbuilding. Es fühlt sich einfach kreativ an, und obwohl ich einige Entwicklungen vorhersehen konnte, waren die Details so einfallsreich, dass sie allem nochmal eine frische Wendung gaben.
Alles in allem hat mir dieses Buch sehr gefallen und ich kann den nächsten Teil kaum erwarten ♥

Heart of Night and Fire was my first Nisha J. Tuli book, and I enjoyed it so much, I will be going to read Trial of the Sun Queen as soon as possible.

Overall a great story and very intrigued for book 2.

4 stars

Dnf for me. I really, really tried to get into it. I think the overall storyline and idea was good, different and interesting but it wasn’t enough to keep me captivated. I just kept waiting for something to happened to cause that moment where you just have to keep reading to find out what’s next. Overall, it was a very interesting story, I just wish it would have been enough to make me want to keep reading. What i did really enjoy were the descriptive outfits and scenery.

Critical Rating - ⭐⭐⭐.💫
Entertainment Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall: 3.75 ⭐
Spice: 🌶️

Thank you Netgalley and Second Sky for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I will say that Tuli’s worldbuilding is absolutely fantastic right out of the gate. Her way of writing this new world is so descriptive and for someone who has never been to South Asia, made me feel like I was right in the middle of it. We’re introduced to so much new vernacular though that I found myself highlighting words and googling them later on. Similar to what I said when I reviewed Black Water Sister, I wish there were footnotes or even a glossary but that’s just a me thing.

While there is a lot of attention spent on worldbuilding and aesthetics, everything else including character development, relationships, and plot had the potential to be much more. It’s unclear as to how many books this will be but this definitely reads like the first book of a series with a huge plotline opening up at the end, followed by a maddening cliffhanger that makes you wish book 2 was readily available.

This story is marketed as a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance but I suspect we won’t be getting more of that until book 2 because it felt more like instant attraction happening with our initial coupling. We see a lot more of our FMC Zarya finding her place within her new found family and establishing new and resolving old friendships. I’m interested to see how her character will develop even further because, in this first book, she has the romanticism of Lara Jean and the inquisitive compassionate nature of Feyre Archeron, which gives her a rose-tinted view of the world she has been hidden away from.

Overall, a very strong first book and I’m excited to see what happens next.

You know that age old adage “Never judge a book by its cover”? Well, judge away on this one. This book will be one you want for your trophy shelf, and not just because it’s stunning (obvs, look at it) but because this is about to be your newest addiction.

𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Zarya has been held captive by the closest thing she has to a father for 20 years. Never allowed to stray too far from their little swamp-side cottage. When her “father” goes missing she uses this opportunity to escape and experience what the world has to offer, stumbling upon her long locked away magic.

This book is STUFFED full of monsters, demons, vampires, magic, sword fighting, enemies to lovers, sorcerers and other worldly beings. Should you pick up this book (and I highly recommend you do, especially if you love SJM, JLA and Carissa Broadbent as much as I do), be prepared to call into work sick until you finish it.

K byeeee ✌🏼🫶🏼

Heart of Night and Fire
The Nightfire Quartet #1
Fantasy
Nisha J. Tuli
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I really enjoyed reading this book. Although this is the first time I've read anything by this author, it certainly wont be the last.

The world building was great. It was packed with details, some parts were told straight away and some information was slowly revealed through interactions with different characters.

The pacing was a little slow to begin with while the characters were introduced but it soon picked up. I loved the action and all of the fighting scenes.

The characters were well developed. I loved the relationship Zarya had with Yasen and Vikram. I knew it would be too easy for Zarya to end up with a certain character but I didn't predict exactly what would happen and why.

Row annoyed me from the start with how controlling he was and when he disappeared, I wanted answers. I found his reappearance a little underwhelming. I was expecting more tension and more of a reaction from the other characters when secrets were revealed.

I wish Rabin was included more. I loved the tension between him and Zarya so it was a shame that they only got the meet in person near the end. I don't quite understand Rabin's hatred towards Zarya yet, though

I would've liked a glossary just so I could go back to it when I forgot certain things or to help me imagine things more clearly (clothing, weapons etc).

I definitely recommend reading this book!

*Thank you to @Netgalley and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*

Heart of Night and Fire - The Nightfire Quartet # 1
Nisha Tuli

⭐5⭐

Tropes: found family, hidden magic, slow burn romance

Heart of Night and Fire is an epic fantasy opening to The Nightfire Quartet. We follow Zarya as she leaves her beautiful cottage home in the forest surrounded by a darkened swamp. A prisoner in a gilded magical cage kept in seclusion for her own safety, Zarya is lonely and friendless. Her only company being the man who raised her with magical abilities, his apprentice, and her romance novels. When the magical cage finally opens after her caretaker disappears, Zarya leaves to find out what she’s been missing for nearly 21 years of her life.

Zarya enters the magical and incredible city of Dharati, but everything is not as good as it seems. Darkness has come for the city and the world, demons and beasts work to infiltrate the city and destroy its magical and powerful queen. Warriors work to protect the city, the people, and their queen using the fighting skills and elemental magical abilities. Zarya has spent too much time in hiding and now she is ready to join the fight and help in the effort to defend the innocent. This book has exciting twists and turns! It kept me on my toes!

This story was inspired by Indian mythology, which was all very new to me. I enjoy reading books that introduce me to things that I do not know a lot about. As this was new information for me, I did struggle to understand some of what was going on at first. I was able to look further into the Indian mythology that inspired this book and thoroughly enjoyed this new information. I’m excited to learn more about it now!

I loved this book and I’m so excited to read the next books in the series!

Nisha, why do you leave me twisting at the end of your books?! I can’t wait to see where things go from here. The slow burn romance will be the death of me!


Below are my favorite quotes from the book!

“It wasn’t an unpleasant prison, but a firefly trapped in even the most ornate jar would still die without air.”

“Besides, it was long past time to write her own story and stop living inside the page of a borrowed reality.”

“Darkness was destroyed by embracing the light, even when that seemed impossible.”

“Sometimes our destiny is not what we would have chosen. We can either seek to change it or learn to live with it.”

“Suvanna had called it the darkness and Koura had refused to name it. But whatever it was, it had just arrived to claim them all.”

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an advance copy of Heart of NIght and Fire in exchange of an honest review.
I am usually not interested in fantasy books but this one kept me enthralled from page 1 to the very end. Nisha J Tuli's 'Heart of Night and Fire' is an enchanting and immersive romance-fantasy adventure that effortlessly weaves together elements of the South Asian culture. This vibrant backdrop provides a beautiful and unique setting for the captivating story that unfolds. Packed with family secrets, thrilling training and trials, and encounters with creatures of darkness, including vampires, the plot keeps you gripped from start to finish. The author's vivid descriptions bring the world to life and evoke a sense of wonder.

However, what truly sets this book apart are two standout elements. Firstly, the found family vibes that permeate throughout the story are heartwarming and add an additional layer of depth to the narrative. The bonds and connections between the characters create a sense of unity and support that tugs at the heartstrings. The author celebrates the power of chosen family, reminding us that it's not just blood ties that matter.

Secondly, the vivid food descriptions are an absolute delight. Tuli's ability to bring food to life on the page is remarkable, with mouthwatering depictions that transport you to the heart of the story. It's a sensory feast that adds another layer of richness to the reading experience.

In addition to these highlights, the romance in 'Heart of Night and Fire' is a delightful element. The protagonist's naive and starry-eyed approach to love, influenced by her penchant for romance novels, brings a sense of whimsy and optimism to the story. It's a refreshing take on romance that adds a touch of charm.

With all the elements in place, 'Heart of Night and Fire' promises a thrilling journey and sets the stage for what is sure to be an exciting sequel. I can't wait to see how the story unfolds, especially if it includes the enemies-to-lovers trope that holds so much promise. For fans of fantasy and those seeking an immersive and captivating escape, 'Heart of Night and Fire' is an absolute must-read."

I found this book really hard to get into unfortunately and just couldn’t finish it. It’s definitely not a fault of the author or book just the very descriptive writing style isn’t the kind of fantasy I go for unfortunately.